The invention relates generally to Bluetooth devices. In particular, the invention relates to a method and system for enabling discovery of services and automated exchange of data between Bluetooth devices.
Bluetooth is a short range communications technology that enables exchange of data between multiple devices without the need for any connecting cables. Bluetooth devices operate using radio frequency, and therefore, do not have to be in line of sight with each other. Bluetooth has become extremely popular due to its low cost, low power and its robustness. Nowadays, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, digital cameras, and similar electronic devices are all Bluetooth-compatible, which enables easy transfer of data among such devices. Any Bluetooth device, when queried by another Bluetooth device, typically responds by transmitting its device name, device class, and a list of supported services. The responding Bluetooth device may also provide other technical information such as device features, manufacturer, and so forth. The querying Bluetooth device then connects to the responding Bluetooth device using a process called ‘pairing’, which requires acceptance by users of the two Bluetooth devices, typically through an input mechanism such as a keypad. Once the connection is established, the two Bluetooth devices can exchange data until the Bluetooth devices go out of range or until a user terminates the Bluetooth connection.
As mentioned earlier, a Bluetooth device transmits a list of services when queried by another Bluetooth device. The querying Bluetooth device may then utilize any of the broadcasted services, thereby enabling data transfer. However, if one Bluetooth device wants another Bluetooth device to discover only a few of its supported services, it cannot do so. In other words, there is no restriction on one Bluetooth device to access only selected services supported by another Bluetooth device. Further, as discussed above, user intervention is always required to initiate the data transfer between the two Bluetooth devices, which may cause inconvenience to the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system for enabling discovery of services supported by Bluetooth devices in a restrictive manner. Further, the method and system should be automated and reduce the manual intervention involved in initiating transfer of data between the Bluetooth devices.